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Research support for Communications

Research Best Bets

Keywords & Subject Terms

Keywords:

  • Mass Media
  • Telecommuncation
  • Conflict Management
  • Nonverbal Communication
  • Public Speaking
  • Debate
  • Intercultural Communication
  • Specific Languages
  • Interpersonal Communication

Library of Congress Subject Terms:

New & Recommended Books

Cases in Public Relations Management

Key features of this text include coverage of the latest controversies in current events, discussion of the ethical issues that have made headlines in recent years, and strategies used by public relations practitioners. The problem-based case study approach encourages readers to assess what they know about communication theory, the public relations process, and management practices.

The Attention Deficit

This book explores the unintended consequences of ubiquitous connectivity. The first effect is captured by the sharing model. Technology offers multiple avenues for sharing experiences and personal information, so active engagement with this increased content uses mental effort. Connection inevitably leads to comparisons with other groups and individuals, so despite the benefits of affirmation and group inclusion, these links corrode social networks, leading to depression and mental apathy. The second effect--the result of the commercialization of sharing--is encapsulated in the attention deficit model. Loss of self-worth, driven by the first effect, encourages further connectivity and sharing as buyers seek more comfort and reassurance via social media, paying with time and personal information. The product is digital content and the payment is with time and data. Correspondingly, social media fulfills this demand with exuberance, both via user-generated content and commercially curated content. We are overwhelmed with even more information, paying with increasingly scarce time and attention. Finally, the third and most consequential effect is diminished risk taking. Attention scarcity, as a consequence of the content tsunami, throttles cognitive effort, impairing judgment and decision-making. So the safe bet may be to do nothing . . . take no risks and no gambles.

Management Speak

Based on primary research into the public lectures of management gurus, this fascinating new volume analyzes how such gurus disseminate their ideas, values and visions on the international management lecture circuit. Adopting a novel conceptual/theoretical perspective, it brings together insights from the fields of management, sociology, media studies, communications and social psychology.

Critical Thinking

How the concept of critical thinking emerged, how it has been defined, and how critical thinking skills can be taught.Critical thinking is regularly cited as an essential twenty-first century skill, the key to success in school and work. Given our propensity to believe fake news, draw incorrect conclusions, and make decisions based on emotion rather than reason, it might even be said that critical thinking is vital to the survival of a democratic society. But what, exactly, is critical thinking? In this volume in the MIT Press Essential Knowledge series, Jonathan Haber explains how the concept of critical thinking emerged, how it has been defined, and how critical thinking skills can be taught and assessed.

Girls Moral Panic and News Media

Mazzarella examines the representational politics behind journalistic constructions of US girls and girlhood through a series of contemporary in-depth case studies which work to document a wider cultural moral panic about the troublesome nature of girls' bodies.

Irony and Sarcasm

A biography of two troublesome words.Isn't it ironic? Or is it? Never mind, I'm just being sarcastic (or am I?). Irony and sarcasm are two of the most misused, misapplied, and misunderstood words in our conversational lexicon. In this volume in the MIT Press Essential Knowledge series, psycholinguist Roger Kreuz offers an enlightening and concise overview of the life and times of these two terms, mapping their evolution from Greek philosophy and Roman rhetoric to modern literary criticism to emojis.

Social Media Measurement and Management

A perfect primer for this developing industry, Social Media Measurement: Entrepreneurial Digital Analytics is ideal for students, scholars, and practitioners of digital media seeking to hone their skills and expand their bank of tools and resources. It features theoretical and practical advice, a comprehensive glossary of key terms, and case studies from key industry thought leaders.

Technical Communication

Get a jump on writing in a professional setting as Technical Communication delivers clear, practical advice and real-world examples to ease you through the transition of college writing to workplace writing.

Public Speaking

David Zarefsky, one of today's leading scholars in speech communication, encourages students to think through and about the public speaking process. Zarefsky urges students to consider the diversity of audiences, occasions, and speakers and to choose a specific purpose, a relevant topic, and the appropriate material to make their speeches successful.

Persuasion and Influence in American Life

The practice of persuasion is no longer limited to a select few and formal audiences. Online networks with unprecedented reach extend opportunities for multiple persuaders and peer-to-peer influence. Woodward and Denton acknowledge the opportunities and challenges posed by social media and various digital platforms. The final chapter emphasizes visual communication and core strategies for the construction of short messages tailored for digital and commercial media.

Intercultural Communication

In this fully updated Sixth Edition of Intercultural Communication: A Contextual Approach, author James W. Neuliep provides a clear contextual model (visually depicted by a series of concentric circles) for examining communication within cultural, microcultural, environmental, sociorelational, and perceptual contexts. Beginning with the broadest context--the cultural component of the model--the book progresses chapter by chapter through the model to the most specific traits of communication-- verbal and nonverbal messages. Each chapter focuses on one context and explores the combination of factors within that context, including setting, situation, and circumstances. Highlighting values, ethnicity, physical geography, and attitudes, the book examines means of interaction, including body language, eye contact, and the exchange of words, as well as the stages of relationships, cross-cultural management, intercultural conflict, and culture shock.

Media Literacy

Media Literacy teaches readers how to navigate through the overwhelming flood of information found in today's media-saturated world. Drawing from thousands of media research studies, author W. James Potter explores the key components to understanding the fascinating world of mass media. Potter presents numerous examples and facts to help readers understand how the media operate, how they attract attention, and how they influence the public.

Film Recommendations

Cross Cultural Communication

Cross Cultural Communication

The Cross Cultural Communication video is a powerful tool to train your employees on skills for a multicultural organization. You'll empower them to communicate more effectively, master nonverbal interaction, and understand what's really being said across cultures. As our world becomes increasingly interconnected, people increasingly encounter problems when communicating with people from other cultures. This can lead to problems ranging from employee frustration and decreased efficiency, to losing billion dollar deals.

Great Courses - Art of Pulic Speaking

Great Courses - Art of Public Speaking

Improve and enhance your public-speaking skills with time-tested techniques and strategies used by Abraham Lincoln, Martin Luther King Jr., and other great orators. Delivered by frequent lecturer and distinguished historian Professor John R. Hale, these 12 engaging and accessible lectures offer you helpful insights no matter who your audience is.

Arrival Film Cover

Arrival

A linguist works with the military to communicate with alien lifeforms after twelve mysterious spacecraft appear around the world.

The King's Speech Film Cover

The King's Speech

The story of King George VI, his impromptu ascension to the throne of the British Empire in 1936, and the speech therapist who helped the unsure monarch overcome his stammer.

Great Courses: Writing and Civilization

Great Courses: Writing and Civilization

The written word is so central to our lives that it can seem as if it has always existed. Yet writing is a relatively recent invention. Trace the remarkable saga of "visible speech" from its earliest origins to its future in the digital age. In this thrilling journey, you'll explore how an array of sophisticated writing systems developed, then were adopted and adapted by surrounding cultures.

Great Courses: Nonverbal Communication

Great Courses: Nonverbal Communication

Posture. Eye contact and blinking. Gestures. Tone and pitch. Gait. Body type and clothing choices. How much of our communication is nonverbal? Many people have heard the claim that 93% of what we express is conveyed through nonverbal communication. After a study in the 1960s, this idea spread into mainstream thinking and changed the way we viewed and interpreted our interactions with others.

Miss Representation

Miss Representation

Like drawing back a curtain to let bright light stream in, MISS REPRESENTATION uncovers a glaring reality we live with every day but fail to see. Written and directed by Jennifer Siebel Newsom, the film exposes how mainstream media contributes to the under-representation of women in positions of power and influence in America. The film challenges the media's limited and often disparaging portrayals of women and girls, which make it difficult for women to achieve leadership positions and for the average woman to feel powerful herself.

Propaganda: The Art of Selling Lies

Propaganda: The Art of Selling Lies

In a world where access to media is unprecedented, the global conversation around the propagation of information, “alternative facts” and “fake news” has never been more heated. As media outlets become increasingly polarized, and as social media rules information feeds, where does propaganda come into play? How is it influencing changes in the world order? Distributed by PBS Distribution.

After Truth Cover

After Truth: Disinformation and the Cost of Fake News

This eye-opening documentary sheds light on the rising phenomenon of “fake news” in the U.S. and the real-life threat that disinformation, conspiracy theories and false news stories have on the average citizen.

Grammar of Happiness Cover

Grammar of Happiness

Daniel Everett is an American linguist and author best known for his study of the Amazon Basin’s Pirahã people and their language. The Grammar of Happiness is a documentary that explores whether one man’s journey into the heart of the Amazon can redefine our understanding of human language.

The Violence Paradox Cover

The Violence Paradox

Violence is all over the news. But some say we’re living in the most peaceful time in history. Journey through time and the human mind to investigate whether—and how—violence has declined. And witness how people are working to stop violence today.

Body Language: Non-Verbal Communication

If actions speak louder than words, then body language is shouting. Let this program be a guide through the land of space wars, tongue showing, invisible bubbles, subconscious gestures, silent language, the rules of eye contact and invisible grammar.

Body Language I: Beyond Words

Some of your students may be bilingual and some may have taken a course in Spanish, Latin, or Japanese. But are any of them fluent in Kinesics? Kinesics is the study of body language as a form of communication. People engaged in a conversation may exchange 200 words per minute, but more than half of their communication is nonverbal. We often use gestures, postures and eye contact without thinking twice about them, but these behaviors can communicate so much beyond the words that we use.

Body Language II: Reading People

When we read a billboard, its message is usually larger than life and quite clear. Is it possible to read people's thoughts and feelings just by looking at them? Well, we can get pretty close if we learn to identify the silent signals they send. We send signals all the time and may not even be aware of it. Gestures we use and faces we make send signals. The volume, speed and inflections of our voices communicate in ways that we may not intend.

Mass Communications Collection

The Mass Communications Collection from TMW Media shows how mass communication is used to spread news throughout a community, both effectively and efficiently.

He Said She Said: Gender, Language, and Communication

Taking a linguistic approach that sheds light on psychology, Tannen uses everything from scholarly research to familiar examples from everyday life as her canvas. In this illuminating and entertaining presentation, Tannen draws a road map through the complex maze of why we speak the way we do, and why others so frequently don't hear what we mean.

From patterns formed in childhood, to the "conversational rituals" of adulthood, Tannen reveals how "conversational style" lies at the core of myths, stereotypes, and miscommunication between the sexes.

From why HE won't stop and ask for directions, to why SHE thinks he's not listening (even when he is), Deborah Tannen's extraordinary and challenging presentation will inspire you to discuss, debate, and rethink the nature of communication and gender.

Nonverbal Communication in a Global Marketplace

Most studies have demonstrated that students have little understanding of the importance of nonverbal communication. This deficiency is particularly acute when called upon to communicate in the international arena. The focus of this program is twofold. First, to introduce the student to the mechanics of nonverbally communicating through gestures, proxemics and other techniques. Second, to expose the student to the vast array of interpretations of similar techniques throughout the global marketplace.

The Art of Effective Communication

Cultivate stronger communication skills with this engaging lecture that covers three burning communication needs in an organization and introduces you to six critically important lessons every effective communicator should follow.

The Power Dead-Even Rule: Communication Between Men and Women in the Workplace

For many men and women, the world would be a much simpler place if men only had to communicate with men and women only had to communicate with women. Why? Because each gender is a culture unto itself, raised with basic rules of conduct "instinctively" known to all adult members of that gender. Consequently, what seems natural to one gender culture can seem mysterious and baffling to the other.

Gender segregation is neither desirable nor realistic in today's world. Men and women working together all levels of society must communicate with each other as effectively as possible. Otherwise, the best intentions of each gender can and will be be misinterpreted to the detriment of all parties to the communication process.

The purpose of the "Power Dead-Even Rule" program is to promote the best possible communication between men and women in the workplace. As we move between male and female cultures, we sometimes have to change how we behave (we need to "speak" the language of the other gender) if we hope to make people understand what we want and need from them in any given situation.

Communication Journals

Foreign Language Learning

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